Coach Jen

Today after work I headed to the parkway with Becky and Jen. We recently decided that Jen would be our coach once a week and when she agreed, things all seemed to fall into place. As a former college runner and Cross Country coach she seemed like a legitimate choice. We planned to run, have dinner and catch up at least once a week. Whoever is hosting makes dinner and tonight, I made the tacos which we followed up with tiramisu. Nothing like mixing Mexican and Italian foods on a Monday, living on the edge. Today Jen helped us through interval training. we did 6 400s. I am pretty sure she wasn't used to all that complaining and I wasn't used to all that panting. It was a good run and afterwards we got to put our feet in the water and then munch on tacos! Ole! Over all it was a good day. I think Coach Jen will be a welcome addition to the running schedule :) 

Bruiser's 5k

This morning I had the pleasure of running with my good friend Jen. We did a rave in the parkway. Bruiser's 5k supports canine cancer research at Penn Veterinary Medicine. Despite the rain last night the course was mostly dry. Although, we did end up with wet feet from the few puddles we tried to dodge. Overall, it was a great run with lots of adorable dogs. Jen ended up finishing first place in her age group! Go Jen! 


THREE WEEKS TILL 13.1 MILES! 

Welcome to the Valley

This marks my first week as a Lehigh Valley resident. Its been interesting so far. Adjusting to a new place is difficult especially for someone who hates change such as myself. Perhaps the most exciting part of moving is checking out new places to run and nearby trails. Today, Becky and I hit up Lehigh Parkway after school to run and detox from a stressful school day. We ended up chatting and dodging the zillions of kids who were there for a track meet. It was nice to be outside, catch up and to loosen the legs on a gravel path. Tomorrow she has the day off so I am heading back alone, and hoping to do 7 miles. Until then. Run on. 

Fall in love again

As I desperately hold on to the last days of my summer vacation, I cant believe that its already September. While reminiscing about my training, and cleaning up my blog I noticed that August wasn't much to brag about running wise. I hadn't put the time in and because of that I was left feeling like I wouldn't be able to do too much when I finally did get out there. I told myself day after non running day that I would do it tomorrow. While on vacation I told everyone I was resting and that I of course, deserved it. looking back I suppose I could also shift blame to my uncle Phil and Scott for making amazing breakfasts during that week that left me stuffed and sleepy:) Anyway, this week all that changed. My amazing cousin inspired me to sign up for a half marathon that worked with my schedule and it gave me the boost I needed to get over myself and get back out there. Truth be told, my running hiatus lasted 2 full weeks. During each day that passed, I thought it was pointless to run and I was dreading it because I thought I wouldn't be able to go far since I hadn't been running. It was a viscous cycle and it turns out that in the end, I was wrong.  Just like riding a bike, I went out it all came back to me. All said and done I  was able to do 5 miles no problem. I got the feeling back that I once had, the feeling of being strong and free, deciding how far to go and how hard to push myself. The next day, I went 7. The point is, I spent all that time dreading getting out there for fear that I would stink. Truth is I didn't stink, not even a little. The more you run, the better you are. The better you are the further you go and this week getting back out there was just what i needed to fall in love again with running. 

it was the best of times, it was the worst of times

I cant believe that summer is over and its already September! This past month has been both the best and worst for me. Lets start with the best aspect. This summer I got to go on a wonderful family vacation and work on a killer base tan. I really felt like summer went fast, but it was amazing. I am moving into a new apartment, starting a new school year and I am truly thankful. In the worse department, my training has been what my aunt Gail refers to as a rest. period. All good things must come to an end however, and tomorrow its back on the horse. Since I am lacking motivation and super stressed starting a new school year and setting up my classroom I decided I needed a short term goal. Sparked by my wonderful cousin Amanda's blog, I signed up for the AC half marathon and I am looking forward to it. Training is a go go. Break out the ice packs.